Film Music Composition: Beginners

Ages 18+

Course Dates & Times

Tuesday evenings on 20, 27 January, 3, 10, 17, 24 February 2026
6.30pm–8.30pm, GMT (UTC+/-0)

The course also includes a one-to-one session with the course tutor (approx. 20 to 30 minutes) - dates and timings of the session will be confirmed during the course.

About Film Music Composition: Beginners

This online six-week course will cover the essentials of contemporary film composing, from writing for different genres with electronic, orchestral and other instruments, to producing and mixing film scores, working with sound design and responding to briefs from directors. 

Who is the course for?

• Anyone aged 18 and over interested in writing and producing music for film and wants to understand more about how contemporary film composers make music for media 
• Experience of producing music with a DAW is helpful but not essential
• Grade 5 theory is advisable but not required

What can I expect?

You can expect to finish the course with a deeper understanding of how composers write for multiple genres of film, from making creative decisions and working with directors to composing and producing cues in a DAW, as well as learning about important related creative fields such as sound design and dub mixing.

The course also includes a one-to-one session with the course tutor (approx. 20 to 30 minutes) - dates and timings of the session will be confirmed during the course.

Do I need anything for the course?

• A computer/laptop  
• A DAW (ProTools, Ableton, Logic X, Cubase or any other similar DAW) 
• A MIDI-keyboard
• A pair of headphones

To get the most out of the course, some familiarity with a DAW (ProTools, Logic X, Ableton, Cubase, etc) is desirable as most contemporary composers work on a computer using a DAW and the course tutor will not be able to provide technical support. However, we are open to anyone who has interest in film music who is happy to take the course on a more observational basis.

Course Fee

£325

Eligibility

• We welcome participants from all ages 18 and over
• Participants must have sufficient English language skills in order to fully engage with the course  

Online Short Courses Requirements

All sessions will take place online using Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to you in advance of the course start date with further instructions.

To participate in online classes you will need the following:

• An email address
• A reliable internet connection
• A laptop/tablet/desktop computer with a microphone and camera (most have these included)
• Speakers/headphones (the speakers in your laptop/tablet/computer should be sufficient)
• A fully updated web browser able to use the most up to date version of Zoom, or a fully updated Zoom client

If you have any questions regarding joining one of our online courses please contact us.

About the Course Tutor

The course is taught by Helen Noir, Professor of Electronic & Produced Music at Guildhall School, specialising in film. 

Helen Noir is a London-based soprano who combines performance work with writing, orchestrating and producing music for film and theatre. She writes in multiple styles from dance music to orchestral across multiple genres of film and often uses her own voice to create unique layered textures for cues. She teaches writing, producing and mixing music for film in styles from electronic to orchestral across multiple film genres from horror to comedy.

She is resident composer of The AIDS Plays Project, a long-term member of cult performance art group Theo Adams Company and has written scores for numerous art-house short films as well as co-written horror features and trailers. Equally at home working with vintage synths or orchestral musicians, she is adept at all aspects of modern film composition from making convincing mock-ups to creating sound worlds.